January 14, 2014

Off the Menu

By FLORENCE FABRICANT

Headliners

Some familiar standbys have been given face-lifts and new wardrobes, and are ready once again for prime time.

THE REGENCY BAR & GRILL The restaurant in the Loews Regency Hotel always served more than its famous “power breakfast,” but few cared. Last year, the owners assigned the Sant Ambroeus Hospitality Group to make it a destination for steaks and Caesar salads, not just bacon and eggs. The chef Dan Silverman has created an American grill menu. The space that included the lounge-cabaret is now a sweep of bar and dining. There is also a Sant Ambroeus cafe with its own 61st Street entrance for serious Italian coffee and panini to go. (Opens Thursday): 540 Park Avenue (61st Street), 212-339-4050, loewshotels.com.

Blake Farrar with his wife, Melody Farrar, a pastry chef, both of the Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges.

Michael Falco for The New York Times

THE INN AT POUND RIDGE BY JEAN-GEORGES It was originally built as a residence in 1833, and 100 years later became Emily Shaw’s Inn, which enjoyed a half-century run. A few years ago, new owners approached Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who has a house nearby, to take it over. He was smitten. Thomas Juul-Hansen has created a rustic but airy ground-floor dining room and refurbished the cozy stone and wood downstairs room. “I’ve never done anything historical like this,” Mr. Vongerichten said. The market-driven menu for the two dining rooms includes some family-style dishes and even pizza, executed by Blake Farrar. His wife, Melody Farrar, is the pastry chef. (Tuesday): 258 Westchester Avenue, Pound Ridge, N.Y.; 914-764-1400; theinnatpoundridge.com.

GALLAGHERS STEAKHOUSE Dean Poll, who acquired the theater district steakhouse after years of trying, hopes to restore the luster it once had. “I’ve tried to keep the look pretty much the same except for the cigarette smoke,” he said. At the entrance, the meat locker is still there and the year of its founding, 1927, remains emblazoned on the floor. But a sharp eye sees new upholstery and some high-top tables in the bar. Mr. Poll has added more seafood and expanded the wine list. (Jan. 29): 228 West 52nd Street, 212-245-5336, gallaghersnysteakhouse.com.

Opening

BARBACON The only surprise here is what took so long. This woodsy bacon-centric gastro pub taps into a craze that peaked more than a year ago. Still, there’s plenty of merit in slabs of good Nueske’s, Nodine’s and even house-made lamb bacon added to sandwiches, salads and eggs, especially with craft beer or bourbon to wash them down: 836 Ninth Avenue (54th Street), 646-362-0622.

Gallagher's Steakhouse gets new upholstery and an updated menu.

Karsten Moran for The New York Times

THE WAYFARER Lisle Richards and Eric Marx of Metric Group, along with Jimmy Haber of ESquared Hospitality, have signed Braden Reardon, who was the corporate chef for ESquared, to be the executive chef for a seafood-centric dining room with an upstairs lounge. (Monday): Quin Hotel, 101 West 57th Street, 212-691-0030, thewayfarernyc.com.

Looking Ahead

TAQUERIA Because of a change in the management structure of Fort Reno BBQ, Jacques Gautier will turn the space into a taqueria, as yet unnamed, in a few weeks. He plans to expand the taco menu beyond what he offers at his other place, Palo Santo, across the street: 669 Union Street (Fourth Avenue), Park Slope, Brooklyn.

PORCHLIGHT In the fall, Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group will open this bar with a Southern vibe to be run by Mark Maynard-Parisi, a founder of the group’s Blue Smoke chain. It will be in the Waterfront New York Building adjacent to Hudson Yards: 271 Eleventh Avenue (28th Street).

Closed

Bisutoro, the Japanese bistro that evolved from Masaharu Morimoto’s short-lived Tribeca Canvas, is gone after three months.